


The Girl At The (Pop) Rock Show

by TheBandomGirl2



Category: All Time Low, Cobra Starship, Fall Out Boy, Hey Monday
Genre: (Every other character after Rian pretty much only appears in the past or is mentioned), F/F, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 09:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13701309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBandomGirl2/pseuds/TheBandomGirl2
Summary: Cassadee thought she'd finally left behind her past once and for all. For once, she'd be remembered as herself and not the girl from "that pop rock band from my childhood". She felt as long as she stayed in her home with her dog she would be all good. However it turns out that confronting the past and an old relationship she kept a secret all over again turned out to be the dog's fault.





	1. The Past Is A Part Of Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Hope you like this brand new story I've just come out with. I love Cassadee (soooooo much like, you can't even get on my level of extreme love and appreciation for her) and I feel she needs more acknowledgment in bandom. So why not make a story just for her centred around her in bandom that isn't just ATL? Also, I'm a sucker for femslash in bandom and I thought that Cass just needed to fall in love with someone, so here you go! 
> 
> Xx Edie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassadee invites some old friends over for dinner, and accidentally stumbles across old relics from the past. As well as remembering an old and complicated relationship all over again. It just so happens she'll run into the other person again soon... and it's all the fucking dog's fault.

The girl at the (pop) rock show, chapter 1: The past is a part of me

It was another lonely evening in the Pope household. The Pope household... Of two. Not even two humans, just a girl and her French Bulldog. But for Cassadee, Cuppy was good company for her. She liked it this way. Her house was her escape, the only way she would be able to see the world outside and what it thought of her is if she accessed the Internet and looked at her Instagram feed. Comments flooding her posts. To her they were either comments on her beauty, angry or passive aggressive comments asking her for more photos of herself or more music, and the ones that she dreaded seeing the most. Comments talking about her old band on completely unrelated pictures. 

Seeing those comments made her eyes roll. Honestly, Cassadee did love Hey Monday. She was happy she was a part of them and that they helped her talent become recognised. But she hated the people that just couldn't accept the way she was now, and these people were everywhere. She was happy now and felt no need to change. Despite all the love and appreciation she had been getting from new fans discovering her through her new music, she just wished that she was someone more. Someone more than "that girl from that pop rock band". 

The lonely evening in the household was busy being spent preparing for the less lonely night to come. A few old friends from Cass's past were coming over for some dinner. Cass's friends were the one part of her own past that she didn't want to push away. I mean, who would be one to push away a friend just because you associated them with a time long gone? These friends in particular were Pete, Gabe and Rian. Pete was the reason she had begun to make it big. The reason her goals were beginning to be achieved. Gabe, although he didn't hold too much career related significance, was a good laugh and a very fun and nice person to be around. Rian was a former lover, despite the fact they didn't feel the same way for each-other anymore, they still enjoyed their friendship. Even if they didn't hang out as much as they used to. 

Cassadee swept all throughout the parts of the house that her guests would set foot in, cleaned the areas where they would be standing, sitting and eating. And she arranged all the objects within eyeshot of her guests. Making everything look neat. Currently, she was working on dusting a shelf and its contents. 

Cassadee often didn't clean this shelf, mainly because there were some quite valuable items on the shelf she didn't want to touch. Fancy vases and framed pictures. Precious items she didn't want to be accidentally dropped. She dusted over the vases, and made the photos on display crystal clear once more. Cuppy, who accompanied her during her cleaning watched in boredom. 

Suddenly as she was cleaning, the sound of a bicycle bell went past the Pope household. This didn't bother Cassadee at all cause it was probably just the mailman bringing in money from album sales and a few fan letters. But to Cuppy this was no mailman. He was the stereotypical worst enemy to a dog. Cuppy started barking loudly at the sound of the bell because his ears were very sensitive to small sounds as all dogs are.  
"Cuppy quiet! It's only the mailman!" Cass tried to console him. But Cuppy wasn't having it. He scattered out of her arms that were holding him back. His paws ready to click against the wooden floor. He leaped away when Cass tried to grab him again but that only directed him into bumping into the wobbly shelf next to him. Cass forgot about Cuppy trying to run away and bark at the mailman for a second because suddenly one of the objects slipped of the top shelf and fell onto the floor scattering everywhere. Luckily it wasn't a vase or some ceramic tea set that could be breakable. It was a shoebox of old photos from way back when. Something that could never be replaced. 

In this box contained the few contents that showed that Cassadee was ever in a little scene band. Her brightly coloured band t-shirt's and neon coloured and leopard printed skinny jeans were all sent off to charity since she stopped wearing them. She however kept everything else... For the sake of memories. Good memories. Otherwise, if you hadn't looked in there. It would be very hard to believe that the fresh faced country girl wearing a cosy sweater and tracksuit pants with ugg boots to match. Was ever the same girl as the wild pre-adult with a choppy Emo haircut of blonde and brown streaks and those neon coloured ensembles she called her clothing. 

She stopped for a second and instead fondly looked through the box. Taking in the nostalgia and even smelling a few of the items to see if they still smelled of the musty venues she had travelled to and the cologne of the male band members she shared space with. She peered at the photos of her and her old friends. Several of her and Pete wearing wacky blue eyeliner and decals painted on each-other's faces as they were both a little drunk and partying away. Gabe wearing the signature purple hoodie that he still hides in a special room in his closet. Her and Rian sharing a kiss when she toured with All Time Low and Yellowcard. Her other friends she still occasionally talked to as well, performing together. William, Brendon, Ryan, Trace, Alex D, Alex G, Greta, Jack, Travie M, Travis C and Patrick among others. There were some non photo related items in the box as well, she ended up finding the long lost eyeliner pencil she stole from Pete as a prank. She took one look at it and chuckled at the memory of his dramatic and devastated reaction. Maybe she would even give it back to him when he came over for the laughs. But there was one thing in the box that caught her eye, not really in a good way though. In the box there was a photo of her with a girl. Someone she hadn't thought about in a long time. She had bleach blonde hair with bright pink raccoon stripe extensions in it and it was thoroughly teased with. There were two pink bows in her hair. Her eyeliner was thick and heavy compared to the rest of her pale face. Her outfit matched what Cassadee wore back in the day, only it was more coordinated into pinks, blacks and silvers. If this photo had ever made it online at all, it would have just been dismissed as Cass and an average scene fangirl. But she was more than that, she was someone she would have rather forgotten, left yet again another relic of her past she would never have to ever discuss as long as it stayed in the box. But now the box was tipped to the floor, and now Cassadee remembered Katelyn. The girl from the (pop) rock show. 

Flashback: 

It was a few minutes after the first show on the American Believer's Never Die tour with Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, All Time Low and Metro Station. Cassadee's (and all of Hey Monday's) biggest show yet before they would begin to headline. On the first night, the crowd not really knowing the band as they had only just put out their album didn't respond too significantly to their performance. They clapped and they were polite, but they didn't dance, they didn't scream their names and they most certainly didn't try to jump onstage like they would have with the other bands. Cass wasn't at all depressed when she saw how the crowd reacted to the others when they came on compared to them. She just felt numb... indifferent. 

"Hey Cass!" Piped up an energetic voice. She looked up to see Alex (Gaskarth, as she had already known a Suarez and a Deleon too)  
"Hi Alex" she said not really replying too enthusiastically.  
"Did you enjoy the show?" He asked.  
"I liked performing I guess... and watching the others perform."  
"I can tell you're a little bit bummed out, is there a reason why?"  
"I don't know, I guess I should expect to know that the crowd would like the other bands more than us more cause you guys have been around for longer, but I still can't help but feel like I've come all this way for nothing." Cass tried to explain to Alex.  
"I see what you mean, we felt like this too before our own fanbase came about. But you came on this tour with Fall Out Boy so they could give you a boost and introduce the whole world to Hey Monday! Very soon, by the time this tour ends, people will know you! You'll be just like all of us" Alex reassured her.  
"Thank you Alex! That really means a lot to me." 

Suddenly, through the doors behind them Gabe and Trace entered.  
"What's going on guys?" Asked Alex.  
"Pete just told me that Fall Out Boy won't be able to come out and see the fans before they leave. Security notice, however Pete didn't want them to be disappointed. So he thought we could go out instead" said Gabe.  
"That sounds like a great idea! We can get everyone else and go in a second." Said Alex, he looked down at Cassadee "are you coming with us Cass?"  
"I don't know... we're not like a huge band or anything. I don't know if anyone would like to talk to me." She replied.  
"Come on Cass, you never know if you have admirers or not unless you come out. There could be one person out there who enjoyed you." Said Trace.  
"Maybe... I guess. I'll come out, but probably because I just don't want to be bored" said Cassadee.  
"That's our girl!" Said Gabe, "trust me there definitely is someone out there wanting to meet you!" 

Before the group of openers went outside, Trace and Cassadee asked if the rest of their members would like to join them. However they declined the offer as they all seemed to enjoy having their own conversation. Immediately as the group walked out inside, a giant wave of screaming girls with matching haircuts ran up to Alex and Gabe and pushing Cass and Trace to the back. Cassadee and Trace decided to talk to each-other for a minute to pass time, but then a small group of girls with the biggest poofs of hairsprayed glory grabbed Trace by the arm and took him away for their own little chat. He briefly apologised to Cass and walked away with them. That left Cass leaning against a wall whistling to herself as she watched her friends get lots of attention that could potentially lead to danger. 

For a few hours, it stayed as it was. The crowd adoring the other bands and Cassadee hiding in their shadows until eventually she unexpectedly felt a small tap on her shoulder. She looked up expecting to see one of the other band members wanting to keep her company out of pity, but instead saw a blonde girl with pink raccoon extensions in her hair, heavy eyeliner and a casual white shirt with a band logo she couldn't decipher in the dark.  
"Hi Cassadee!" She said, she stared at the girl in shock feeling a rush of surprise and happiness of the mention of her name from a stranger.  
"Oh hi! How are you?" She asked, not really knowing how to respond.  
"I'm good! I really wanted to talk to you earlier but the other people kept on pushing me back, but I'm glad I could make it" the girl said.  
"Well I'm happy you could too, it's been a little bit lonely here." Said Cassadee.  
"Yeah, you didn't look too happy from what I could tell. I felt kind of lonely too being the only Hey Monday fan here." The girl said.  
"Wait... you came here for us too?"  
"Yes I did! It felt weird getting glared at strangely for wearing a Hey Monday shirt instead of a Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, Cobra or Metro shirt you know! I love those bands and I was happy to see them too, but I really thought I'd be able to meet more fans of you here."  
Cassadee looked down at the girl's shirt and noticed the band logo was indeed a Hey Monday one scribed in neon pink matching the colour of her jeans.  
"Thank you so much for supporting us that's so sweet! I hope I will be able to meet more fans like you when we continue the American tour." Said Cassadee, for the first time in a while, a big smile spread across her face.  
"Oh you don't have to worry about being alone, I was able to save up money for trips to every single show in the country!"  
"You saved all of that to see us?"  
"I did, I figured that while you guys were still small I'd take all the opportunity to become good friends with you before you start selling out and headlining!"  
"That's so awesome, I'll be very excited to talk to you for the next few nights!" Said Cassadee, "what's your name by the way?"  
"My name is Katelyn! It's so nice to meet you, I've been following you guys since I found you on MySpace one day!"  
"That sounds so awesome... tell me how you found our MySpace, I'm curious!" 

Back to present time:

After that small reminder of her past came back to her, Cassadee decided to immediately put all the photos and other random contents (with the exception of Pete's long-lost eyeliner) back in the box and she shoved it in another place where Cuppy could not potentially knock it over ever again. Yet again, Cass continued to try and forget about what she just remembered before and continue to do what she was supposed to be doing before Pete, Gabe and Rian arrived. 

A few hours later: 

Eventually the whole house was finally clean, so Cassadee decided to pass the time for the next couple of hours doing a little bit of reading and then going on the internet to look at the news. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door causing Cuppy who was resting on her lap to rage in a barking fit.  
"Cuppy! Be quiet, it's only some friends." Cassadee scolded him rolling her eyes. She went to the door to see all three of the guests standing there.  
"Cassadee!" They all said nearly in unison.  
"Hello guys, how are all of you?" She asked politely. Giving everyone welcome hugs and letting them in.  
"We're good! Apart from the fact that Pete kept on elbowing me in the uber" said Gabe giving him a salty glare.  
"I did not do that on purpose! My elbows are just naturally very pointy!" Pete tried to punch him in the arm but had to reach up to do it.  
"Nice try shorty!" Gabe teased.  
"Guys! Let's not make this a fist fight." Rian butted in leading the other guys to the table knowing where it was cause of his past living in the house, "after all, this is Cass's place after all. We don't want to be dicks around her"  
"Oh honestly, it's entertaining watching you guys getting into petty fights. Reminds me of the good old days." Cass said.  
"Oh those good old days" Pete and Gabe said together, and then looking at each-other as if they were an old married couple. 

"So how are you guys going? What's up job wise?" Cassadee asked everyone as she relaxed sitting between Pete and Rian.  
"Well, all of us have been going pretty good! The new album is out and we got to number one on the billboard albums chart." Pete said proudly. Gabe rolled his eyes playfully at him lowkey bragging about his success.  
"Of course you did! I listened to the album, I'm so proud of you guys" said Cass, "I really liked Heavens Gate. Reminds me of my Backstreet Boys days!"  
"I'm happy that you enjoy it." Said Pete.  
"Gabe, have you been doing anything? I haven't really talked to you in years, maybe since when Cobra broke up?" Cass asked.  
"I haven't been up to much, I've been doing shifts at Beats1 and I run my own record label." Gabe replied.  
"Who's on your label?" Cass asked.  
"I don't know if we have anyone who's really made it big yet. But I'm happy with all my kids! In my spare time I go to lots of shows." Said Gabe.  
"Well that's cool, how in contact are you with everyone else right now?" Cass asked.  
"Oh well... I still talk to Bill heaps. However I don't make that public, the fans freak if they know anything has happened between us. Also, Mike from TAI is also working with me on the label."  
"Carden?"  
"Yep, we've been doing heaps! The fans also freak whenever I take pictures of him though ha!"  
"And well... I've just been the same old guy... same old band... recently just got off a big tour again!" Said Rian.  
"Of course!" Everyone said. 

"So since we're talking about old sentiments right now because we haven't talked to each-other, I'd like to apologise to Pete for something I should've apologised for back in 2008." Cass said.  
"Aw come on! What do you have to spill for us?" Asked Pete.  
"Me and Jersey stole your eyeliner as a prank... and we forgot to return it!" Cass handed over the dusty and aged black stick over to Pete who looked at it with tears of both laughter and sweet relief in his eyes.  
"Oh my god... I was wondering what happened to that! I thought it had just rolled under something." Said Pete, "I'll get you back one day!"  
The whole table started shrieking with laughter.  
"I wonder what you could possibly do to me though?" Cass asked jokingly.  
"I don't know, maybe I'll steal those old vests from back in the day you might still have?"  
"You're too late on that train, they've all been donated to charity!"  
"God dammit! I swear that I'll think of something..." 

As the night rolled on, the group of old friends grew more and more drunk. Especially after finishing their food. They all got together and looked at old pictures on the internet and sighed at their bad hair days together. (And their questionable fashion choices) Pete lazily tried to clump his old eyeliner on his eyelids again but from lack of recent use, the colour had gone hard and un-useable. Eventually, the group were tired. So yet again, Pete called an uber and him, Gabe and Rian were sent away. All with the possibility of never talking to Cassadee again for a few years. Eventually returning again for another one of these special nights. 

Yet again, it was just Cass all alone once more. Just her and her dog and that's the way that she mostly liked it. 

Little did she ever know that the first knock of the shoebox off the shelf would not be the end of Cuppy helping her rediscover her past. Her next flashback started at the supermarket. As expected from the previous night. The boys had all ravished up everything that was in the pantry. (Typical) the very next day, she ventured off to the supermarket and reluctantly took Cuppy with her because he hadn't had a walk yet. 

She looked inside the supermarket as she finally arrived and saw that today wasn't too busy. So she decided to take Cuppy inside with her to give him a little extra exercise.

Suddenly she was in the canned food section of the store. Looking for her regular brand of canned tomatoes. For some reason, the store didn't have her first choice in stock. So she continued to stare at the shelf to see what the next best thing would be. She stared and stared and stared, debating about what the best thing would be. Looking at the back labels and checking all the pros and cons. Suddenly, this had made Cuppy bored. He barked angrily, angry because he wasn't moving, angry because he was still on his leash.  
"Cuppy calm down, we are in public!" She tried to stop him but then the barks started getting louder, and suddenly he couldn't even sit anymore. He tried to jump out of the leash and before Cass could stop him. He leaped at the shelf, and knocked the several cans of puréed tomato off the shelf and spilled them everywhere. And while he was miraculously unharmed. Cass was drenched. 

At the noise heard from the aisle, immediately a supermarket worker rushed to Cass's aid. With paper towels and a damp sponge.  
"I'm so sorry!" The woman said.  
"No it's my fault, I shouldn't have brought my dog into the store. I don't know why I thought I could get away with it." Cass tried to explain. Suddenly the lady trying her best to wipe off the red stains looked at Cass with a sense of shock after hearing her voice.  
"Cassadee?" The lady asked. That was when the next look back into the past hit her. The supermarket worker had black hair with hot pink streaks in it, and her makeup was somehow "different" but relatively toned down. Despite looking different from how she remembered her many moons ago. Cass suddenly remembered this woman too.  
"Katelyn?"


	2. It's all the fucking dog's fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassadee runs into Katelyn for the first time in ages and catches up with her again briefly. (Unfortunately for her. She never wanted to be there) She finds out Gabe is still dealing with grief over the loss of a past relationship, while Pete is trying to pick up the pieces. And it's all Cuppy's fault that this is happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry this took ten millions years to finish. I've been having terrible writers block with this story, but I have ideas again so MUAHAHAHAHAHA BEHOLD! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.

The Girl At The (Pop) Rock Show, chapter 2: It's All the Fucking Dog's Fault 

Cassadee sat, in the small supermarket office, stained in tomato paste. She reached to slap her face but then remembered she had already done that... plenty of times. She didn't want to bruise herself. Katelyn had already been with her earlier, cleaning off the chunks of tomato that were all over her clothes. She had left to go get some more durable cloths and some soap of some sort because water and paper towels were just not cutting it. 

Cassadee sighed and looked down at Cuppy. Giving him the stink eye.   
"Why did you do that?" She asked. Of course no reply coming from the small dog. Instead only a look of confusion.   
"Don't look at me like that." She scoffed at Cuppy. The doors to the small office she was waiting in busted open. 

"Hi Cass." Said Katelyn.  
"Don't call me Cass! You haven't been in contact with me in ages." Cass protested.   
"You're telling me this when really you had a choice to continue talking to me, and what did you do?" Katelyn gave her a rude smirk. Katelyn poured the liquid soap onto the cloth she had found started scrubbing aggressively at Cassadee's sleeve. Cassadee didn't know if she was even doing it to try get the stain out or if she was scrubbing a little too hard cause she was annoyed and really didn't want to be in this situation. 

"Is it coming out?" Cassadee asked.  
"A little bit, you can still kind of see it up close. But otherwise you'll look fine when you walk out." Said Katelyn.   
"Okay..." said Cassadee. There was a awkward silence for a good five minutes. The only thing you could hear in the small room was Katelyn's unnecessarily aggressive scrubbing. 

"So... what have you been up to recently?" Katelyn asked awkwardly. Cassadee let out a deep breath.  
"I'm surprised you didn't find out through the grapevine." Said Cassadee, "you must have maybe caught at least one episode of the third The Voice season."   
"Oh yeah, I watch The Voice. I knew you were on there. I just used to skip away onto another channel whenever you came on because well... obvious reasons." Katelyn spoke in a very passive-aggressive tone.

"Oh..." Cassadee didn't know what to say in response.  
"You won didn't you?" Katelyn said.  
"Yes, I did. I'd say I'm doing much better now than how I did a few years ago." Said Cassadee.  
"Well... I'm certainly happy that you're happy I guess. What do you do now?... do you still do rock music or?-"   
"I'm a country singer now." Said Cassadee.  
"Wait what?" Katelyn was in shock, "that's a big turnaround! You don't seem like the biggest country girl. I always thought you would stay rock or at least become a cute little acoustic pop star."   
"I grew up with country music, it holds a big place in my heart." Cass said.  
"What? But when I knew you, you told me you hated country, and that your parents forced you to listen to it!" Katelyn said.  
"I used to say that, back when I thought pop punk and all that stuff was my priority. I guess I ended up coming back to my roots though. Some people just don't change even if they try. I still like pop punk, makes me nostalgic! Just... I like making country music." Cass shrugged.   
"Well... that's interesting." Said Katelyn.

"What have you been up to?" Cass asked.  
"Oh... not much! Unlike you I just stayed with rock. I just don't like all that strange crunky scene stuff anymore." Said Katelyn, "I never got anywhere in life with my own music or anything. I have a couple of EP's out but they never took me anywhere. I guess I'm just fine with being... well... a supermarket worker."   
"Where can I listen to your EP's?" Cass asked.  
"Oh, I put them out ages ago. They're up on this SoundCloud account. I think it's just called Katelyn. I wasn't really up for making a weird username." Katelyn brushed off her music, as if it was something she regretted, "I don't know if you would want to listen to them anyway!"   
"Oh no! I'd love to check them out, I'll look at them when I get home." Said Cass.  
"Speaking of going home, your stains are mostly gone." Said Katelyn, "I think you can leave now and pay for your stuff."   
"Thanks" Cassadee went back to being sarcastic. She rolled her eyes and picked up all her stuff, including Cuppy. 

As soon as she returned home, she set down Cuppy on the couch angrily and sighed.  
"I'm just too embarrassed for words right now Cuppy! I know you didn't mean it, but it still feels like everything was your fault cause you were the one who knocked over the tomato cans!" Cassadee ranted. Cuppy just tilted his head back in confusion.

"You don't understand a word I'm saying, and that's fine! But this time, we have new rules regarding taking you for a walk. Long story short, you're never coming to the supermarket with me again. So that way I can avoid awkward encounters with Katelyn as much as possible! Secondly, I'll only be taking you to the park when I think I should be taking you." Cassadee rambled. Cuppy replied with nothing but a sigh.

"I'm sorry Cuppy, things are just better off this way. Now if you excuse me, I'm calling Pete about this, cause I need emotional support FROM A HUMAN!" Cassadee left Cuppy alone on the couch and stomped over to the home phone.

Immediately she dialled Pete's number, and surprisingly he was free enough from his own work to pick it up.   
"Hey Cassadee, calling again so soon?" Pete sounded slightly concerned.

"Hi Pete, I'm kind of in a very sticky and awkward situation right now. And I need your help!" Said Cass.  
"Look Cass, I'd love to help you, and talk to you for hours about this. But I can't right now!" Said Pete.  
"What... why not?" Asked Cass, "do you have a show on tonight or something?"   
"Well, there's that and also..." Pete stopped talking, the sounds of hysterical crying from someone else could be heard in the background.  
"I'm already helping someone else with emotional support, I don't want to overwhelm myself."   
"Is that Gabe?" Cass asked, confused as to why she was recognising it as him crying.  
"Yes... Gabe is sad." Said Pete.  
"Why is Gabe sad?" Asked Cass.  
"He's still sad about, what happened between him and William!" Said Pete.  
"Are you fucking serious? It's been longer than a decade since this all went down, is he seriously still upset about Bill's kid?" Cassadee grumbled.  
"He's not upset about Evie, he's upset because of something that Bill apparently did to him recently." Said Pete.  
"What happened?" Asked Cassadee.   
"It's a very long story, I think maybe I'll tell you tomorrow. Come and take a drive down to Austin. We have a show there tomorrow, will that be too much of a drive from Nashville?" Pete asked, "you can talk about what you want to talk about too!"   
"It's kind of long, but I think I can manage it." Said Cass.  
"Okay, see you soon. Come down around 1, that's when we have soundcheck." Said Pete.  
"Alright then, goodbye Pete." Said Cass.  
"Goodbye Cassadee" said Pete, "just letting you know, it's cool that we're talking again. I've missed you."   
"I've missed you too." Cass giggled softly after Pete hung up.

All she wanted to do now, was just lie down on the couch and contemplate life. 

Flashback: 

"Hey guys, we have another opening band meet and greet. Let's go out and meet everyone." Alex Gaskarth said enthusiastically.   
"Sure thing, I'm totally down for that." Cass said, excited to potentially see her new fan Katelyn again. 

"I'm here, are we ready?" Trace asked.   
Jack Barakat suddenly rushed into the room where the three singers were standing.   
"Guys we have a problem." He said.  
"What's going on?" Asked Trace.  
"We can't find Gabe! I've looked everywhere." Said Jack.  
"Have you sent the other Cobra members to look for him too?" Alex asked. Victoria Asher abruptly entered the room.

"We've looked everywhere too, split up and everything. Can't find him anywhere." She said.  
"What are we going to do? Everyone loves Gabe, the kids will all be disappointed when he doesn't come out." Said Alex.  
"I'll go and look for him." Said Cass.  
"Are you sure about that?" Vicky asked, "you don't know Gabe all that well, you might not be able to coax him to come out easily."   
"Guys, it will be fine. Gabe probably has just gone to a normal place and you didn't bother to look there. It's not like he got lost in a desert or anything." Said Cass.  
"Good luck with that, we'll keep the fans busy until you find him." Said Alex.

 

Cassadee examined all of the rooms in the venue, then checked the tour buses for all the other bands. Including Cobra! Gabe was still nowhere to be found. She went back to the Cobra van to double check if he was there or not again. She looked all through the van even in the bathroom. But the searching was to no avail, Gabe was still nowhere to be found.   
"Goddammit Gabe! What have you done?" Cass yelled impulsively while sitting at the dining table. She made her hand into a fist and banged it on the tabletop, hoping that maybe he was hiding somewhere extra secret, ready to come out after hearing a sudden noise. Yet he still didn't respond. She banged the table again a second time. Suddenly she could hear the sound of sniffling. 

 

Curiously, she followed it to the top bunk bed which she had forgotten to check. She climbed the small ladder to the top and swiped away the curtain exposing that Gabe was still in there.

"HEY! What are you still doing in here? Alex and everyone else has been looking for you! We have the opening band meet and greet RIGHT NOW!" Cassadee scolded Gabe. Before realising that he was crying, clutching his sidekick to his body.   
"Oh.... oh dear, I'm sorry was that too harsh? I didn't mean to upset you-"   
"No, it's okay Cassadee. You didn't upset me, I came in here cause I was upset and I didn't want to alarm the fans." Gabe stuttered before coughing uncontrollably, even more tears began to flow out of his eyes and he started ugly crying... very loudly. 

"What's wrong? Why are you sad?" Cassadee climbed into the bed and laid down next to Gabe, patting his shoulder softly.   
"I'm surprised you haven't heard the news yet... from Pete or someone else!" He said.  
"What happened Gabe? Cut to the chase!"   
"William... has a kid" as soon as he uttered "kid" he uncontrollably began to cry again. And Cassadee realised why he was so sad. 

Ever since Cassadee first met them together in the Decaydance office, she had known that they were madly in love with each-other, or more that Gabe was madly in love with William and their connection was complicated at best already. There was definitely chemistry between the two of them that she had already seen on previous tours... romantic chemistry. But Pete had told them as part of their contract that they had to disclose any information about relationships between other members from the same label. In order to stop crazy fans from attacking them. However this didn't stop them from using stage-Gay on tours and acting lovey dovey around friends off camera. Cassadee had always rooted for both of them, and now it seemed that it could never be. 

"Oh dear..." Cassadee said, "Gabe... how did this happen? You and Bill are like, together? Right?"   
"We were." Said Gabe. He had calmed down a little bit from his fits from before, "he broke up with me as soon as he told everyone about the kid."   
"Did he ever tell you he was with someone else? Did you know that this person was pregnant? Cass asked.  
"No, no one knew anything. Apparently he kept it a secret from everyone else on the label for ages, it's still a secret from the public though." Gabe said.  
"That must be horrible then, I still can't believe that Bill didn't break up with you prior to the birth." Said   
Cassadee, "that is so messed up."   
"I know... I know." Said Gabe. 

"Is the kid a boy or a girl?" Cass asked.  
"Girl. Her name is Genevieve, Evie for short." Said Gabe.  
"Is she cute?" Cass asked.  
"She's gorgeous, I'm really happy that Bill loves her. He's going to be a great father. I'm just... still sad that this is how it all ends." Said Gabe.  
"I can perfectly understand why." Said Cass.   
"Yeah..." said Gabe, "indeed." 

The two of them spent a minute, staring at the ceiling. Cassadee let Gabe have a moment of silence so he could calm down before he was ready to come out.

"Should we go now?" Cass asked.  
"Probably, I can't keep those kids waiting." He replied.  
"That's the spirit." Said Cass, "put on a smile and make them happy too."   
"That's just how things have to be sometimes." 

The two of them exited the van together, holding hands for comfort. 

By the time they got to the entrance of the venue again, the whole crowd had disappeared. Alex, Trace, Jack and Vicky were looking at Gabe and Cass with disappointed expressions on your face.

"You took so long to come out, and now everyone had to leave! Well done Saporta, Cassadee was looking forward to meeting one of her first super fans as well." Alex lectured Gabe. Cassadee began to feel glum after realising she had missed her opportunity to meet Katelyn again. But I guess there was always the next show. 

Alex stared Gabe in the eye and then realised how red and puffy both of them were , and that he had been upset.   
"Oh buddy, you're still upset about William. Understandable, but you should've told us before we were about to leave." Said Alex.  
"Yeah... I'm really sorry." Said Gabe.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Alex asked.  
"Yeah..." said Gabe.   
"We'll go inside with you and talk things out. You'll need to keep an optimistic attitude for the rest of this tour." Said Vicky. 

The rest of the group left to possibly go back to Cobra's van again and talk to Gabe. Cassadee didn't join them though, she just sat down at the empty entrance. Still sad about the fact she couldn't see Katelyn again for the next couple of days. 

She had felt that she had let her down. She grabbed a pebble that was within arms reach of her and threw it at the barricade. The metal bars making a loud echoing noise. Right after throwing the pebble, a girl with a familiar pair of pink raccoon tails in her hair emerged.  
"Katelyn!" Cass looked up at her, her face glowing.  
"I was starting to think you would never see me." Said Katelyn.  
"I was starting to think I would never see you too, I was think the security guards had ushered you out along with everyone else." Said Cass.  
"eh, I just hid in some bushes. I never gave up hope." Katelyn said.   
"Well I'm happy that we were able to meet up no matter what the circumstances." 

"So... why did you take so long to come out?" Asked Katelyn.  
"Gabe was having... a little trouble with his mental health." Said Cass.  
"Oh no, what happened?" Katelyn asked.  
"Let's just say... there are some issues with his love life going on right now." Said Cass.  
"Well, I guess that's not really my place to ask about this then. Haha." Said Katelyn.  
"Understandable" said Cassadee. 

"How have you been?" Asked Katelyn.  
"Oh, me... I've been fine thank you. The show I played tonight was really fun. I think there were more Hey Monday fans here tonight." Said Cass.  
"Yeah, there totally were. I was talking to a few of them after the show. I'm guessing there will probably be even more in Florida too." Said Katelyn, "that's where you're from? Right?"   
"Yeah, I'am from Florida. I feel like people maybe don't take me as seriously as they do with the other bands because I didn't grow up in Chicago or New Jersey like them."   
"Well Chicago and Jersey are the homes of hardcore and pop punk, but you're different. You make your own type of music. Sure you or any of the guys can't scream, and your voice is poppy and you sing about typical teen things. But that's why you appeal to me. You like lots of things, and you like to do lots of things. Never change Cassadee."   
"Thank you Katelyn, that really means a lot to me..." 

The two girls sat together in silence. A feeling of warmth was felt between the two of them. Katelyn's Heart was racing. Probably because well... she was sharing a tender moment with an inspiration of hers. Cassadee also felt a similar way too. Mainly because she was sharing a tender moment with one of her first fans. 

"What's your love life like right now?" Katelyn asked, her cheeks began to turn pastel pink underneath her foundation.   
"Eh, I'm not with anyone right now." Cass replied, "boys bore me."   
"You're on a tour with some of the coolest boys in the scene, but I guess you're probably going to get annoyed by them eventually." Katelyn laughed.  
"I like Pete a lot, but he's like a father to me. I wouldn't date him. Besides, he's very happy with Ashlee." Said Cass.  
"What about the guys from your band?" Asked Katelyn.  
"No... I honestly would not!" Cassadee starting laughing hysterically, "they're all my friends. It would be weird I started dating one of them, and then it didn't work out."  
"Okay, that's understandable too." Said Katelyn. 

"So your love life is completely blank? No one special in your life?" Asked Katelyn.  
"No... no one special at all." 

The two girls paused in conversation again, both of them looked into each-other's eyes. 

Katelyn's eyes were pure blue, no hints of grey or green in there. It complimented her hot pink makeup well. Cass's eyes were blue as well, but sometimes they shone green in certain lighting and if they did look distinctively blue, there would always be at least a few green specks floating around in them. Katelyn's eyes directed down to Cassadee's lips. Parted open, covered in gloss with small bits of glitter in there. Suddenly, they both decided to lean in together. 

Within a matter of seconds they were kissing. Cassadee was surprised by this, but kissed back. Out of all the kisses she had from other relationships, Katelyn was probably the best. No tongue straight away, no spit coming out the side of the mouth, no chapped lips. Just the perfect kiss. She wrapped her arms around Katelyn's neck and just immersed herself. She didn't care that she was kissing a girl, she was just surprised and happy to be kissing someone. 

It was a different story when they finally pulled away though. 

"Cassadee..." Katelyn whispered.  
"What?" Cass asked, still coming down from the high of the kiss.  
"I love you." Katelyn replied. That was when Cass began to feel extreme confusion. She kissed Katelyn, she liked it... WHAT THE HELL DID THIS MEAN? She had never felt this before. Cassadee was left completely speechless, and didn't know what to say.   
"I love you a lot, you don't have to love me back, I'm just letting you know." Katelyn began to feel awkward, so she backed away and went to go back to wherever she was stayed. Leaving Cassadee at the entrance with her clothes ruffled, her hair a mess and her lipgloss smudged across her face. 

The lights by the door dimmed.

She should be back in her van by now. 

Present day: 

Cassadee slept in for a long period of time, occasionally getting up to have a peek a clock so she wouldn't be too late to go drive to Pete. She had decided to leave at one. Suddenly she heard Cuppy scratching at the door. He probably wanted food.

She opened it to see him begging. Holding his leash in his mouth. Cassadee rolled her eyes.   
"Cuppy, please we can't go for walks right now. You had one yesterday you're-" she was interrupted by Cuppy whining.   
"Ughhhhhhh! Fine! I'll take you to the park briefly." 

She got hastily dressed up in a grey turtleneck sweater, some black skinny jeans and some ugg boots. For good measure she put on a cream coloured scarf. Yet she still felt there was something missing, she needed something else to warm herself up. She dug in her closet until she ended up finding a light blue denim vest she used to wear on her old tours. She put it on over the top of the sweater despite it making her look like she was that hot mess from 2008 all over again. 

She attached Cuppy to his leash, quickly ate a oatmeal bar and off she went to the nearest dog-friendly park. She sat down on a bench and let him run free, he would sometimes return to her with a stick. She would just throw it and wait another few minutes before him realising where she was sitting again. She looked at her phone, at the comments on her newest single that she had just put out called Take You Home. A song that she was rather proud of having done. Yet there was one comment that bothered her. A comment that said.   
"Homecoming, I'm coming, my sweet mistake." The classic lyrics to that decade old song that she REALLY wanted no one to be talking about on her NEW song. 

Cuppy went back to Cass, back and forth with the stick as she continued to check her phone. Eventually she heard the footsteps of the small dog returning to her again.   
"Oh here we go again-" she saw the same stick in the dogs mouth, but instead it was a corgi approaching her and not Cuppy the frenchie. Cuppy was standing a few metres away from the Corgi barking at it for stealing his stick. 

"Hey! Cookie, give that stick back to the other dog you thief." A familiar voice yelled out at the corgi. Cassadee looked up to see that familiar unwanted face she had seen yesterday, with her pink streaked black hair extravaganza. Katelyn was walking her own dog in the park at the same time Cass was. She groaned   
"Not again...." under her breath.   
"Oh Cassadee, it's your dog." Katelyn recognised her and sighed.  
"Why is it always the fucking dogs fault?" Cassadee muttered to herself again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these past couple of chapters have been short, this is kinda just to help establish the plot. I promise it will get even more juicy later. What is your favourite bit so far? Well... the kiss scene was interesting for me, and I want to expand more on Cassadee/Gabe's past friendship cause it's really cute lmao. Anyway, hope you all loved this. 
> 
> Until next time...
> 
> Edie xoxo


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